Who Even Remembers Why We Should Dress Respectfully?

Froma Harrop on Dec 4, 2025

Sean Duffy's entreaty to "dress with respect" on airplanes rapidly ran into some turbulence. The transportation secretary's request had a bumpy touchdown, landing so close to Donald Trump boorishly telling a female reporter on Air Force One, "Quiet, Piggy."

Duffy's boss often struggles to maintain the thinnest veneer of courtliness -- a failing no amount of fine tailoring can disguise. Nonetheless, Duffy noting "a degradation of civility" among air travelers is on the mark, and so is his contention that flying would be more pleasant if grown-ups behaved better, which would include not wearing pajamas on flights.

The Federal Aviation Administration reported 1,240 unruly passenger cases last year. That doesn't include uncountable incidents of mere rudeness or simply playing the eyesore in dirty sweatpants.

Testy reactions to Duffy's plea centered on anger at the declining quality of today's commercial air travel. One passionate defense of ditching a dress code appeared in, of all places, Vogue Magazine.

The article titled, "I Will Start Dressing Respectfully When Airlines Start Respecting Me," took on a Karen-esque air. "The concept of being shamed out of dressing for comfort in this moment," the writer complained bitterly, "feels beyond the pale."

First off, it's not about you personally. And the notion that one must dress down to be comfortable is patently phony. No one is suggesting that this writer wear a taffeta dress and high heels on her next cross-Pacific flight. Neat pants and a clean top will fill the "dress with respect" bill.

Dear Vogue Magazine, you know what you are peddling on your pages. Sure, you are catering to a less formal readership than the "Come Fly With Me" generations, but hey, why don't you throw in a bone for your advertisers?

Numerous critics of Duffy's campaign cite cramped seating, canceled flights and other perceived declines in quality of service as excuses for their acting out -- though many may not even link smelling bad to behavior. Thing is, none of the above causes for displeasure has any idea what you're wearing. Sticking one's tongue out at executives who don't see you also has no effect. Furthermore, bad weather is sometimes at fault.

What completely misses the point is that we dress respectfully for other people -- for fellow passengers, for airline workers trying to perform a tough job. The personnel that take the biggest brunt of passenger disrespect are the poor flight attendants.

And herein lies a story:

I knew an old guy, somewhere in his 80s, who was decidedly not rich. Frank always flew steerage class. But whenever he took a flight, he would wear his blazer, a pressed shirt and a tie. He was shaved, and whatever hair he had left stayed neatly combed.

During one flight, Frank wanted another ginger ale, and so he walked to the back of the plane where refreshments lived and the flight attendants gathered. Frank was gone a long time, and because of his age I began worrying. It turns out that the attendants, mainly women, were fussing over the gentleman, telling him how nicely he was dressed and how they wished other male passengers would do likewise. Frank returned to his seat bearing several cans of ginger ale.

Complaints that airlines stuff passengers into cramped seats, cancel flights and charge for stale sandwiches have merit. But such causes for discontent will go unheeded as long as passengers agree to keep paying for the service they receive -- and in many cases, choose it for being the cheapest option.

Going back to where we started, there's no escaping the dissonance of leaders at the highest level delighting in crude behavior. But low standards are something to rise above, not copy.

Follow Froma Harrop on X @FromaHarrop. She can be reached at fharrop@gmail.com. To find out more about Froma Harrop and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators webpage at www.creators.com.

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